Runway Review

For her first resort collection since taking over the creative direction of Givenchy, Clare Waight Keller delved deeper into the house’s roots, mining inspiration from two lesser-known aspects of its heritage: sportswear and Hubert de Givenchy’s passion for Japanese culture. The later played out subtly, resulting in a saturated color palette and various Japanese-style prints and fabrics that worked well with Waight Keller’s background in traditional men’s tailoring. A graphic play on red and black recalled a distinct manga vibe, while the wide-knotted belts on a leather column dress and a padded black trench coat seemed reminiscent of traditional Judo belts.

As for the sportswear element, that too was approached with a discerning hand. Inspired by Hubert de Givenchy’s original sports line—Givenchy Sport—from the early Eighties, Waight Keller infused her separates with a subtle, athletic ease, showing masculine wool coats over sleek stirrup pants, lightweight leather hoodies and, in at least one instance, a zip-up cowl-neck jacket featuring a very ‘80s-inspired V-shaped motif along the front. While this is just the lastest in a string of luxury collections riffing on the idea of “glamleisure,” Waight Keller’s iteration offered up something different: polished, pared-back elegance, a characteristic all too often lost in the realm of streetwear.